Museum of the Built Environment, KSA

The museum is designed by FXFOWLE Architects in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and expected to be completed in 2014.

Description from FXFOWLE Architects:
The Museum will host an experience that interprets the historical development of Arts and Architecture in the Arabian Peninsula. It will educate visitors on the important role that social, economical and environmental issues have played in the region. The Museum houses permanent galleries as well as temporary exhibitions. A series of interconnected spaces around a cascade of viewing ramps organizes the permanent collection. The lower floors of the museum knit together a series of public areas, sky walks to adjacent buildings, a monorail station and street-level retail culminating in a grand 3 story atrium. The building spans over the wadi, a continuous open public space below grade, and provides welcome shade to people who are enjoying the landscaped environment. The building skin maximizes transference of light while minimizing the detrimental effects of the desert’s direct sunlight.